After intially going with the 14.5 x 17P Enertia  prop normally fitted to this hull/motor combination, and coming up a ittle short on max rpm--Merc state it as 5000-5800 rpm WOT range, and as we all know, you should be aiming for the upper---5500 best attained @ 38.5knots best speed.  Although I never have much flat water room up here to try such things. So the dealer swapped me for a 14.7 x 16P, next size down. Another river run with same amount of fuel ( 150 litres of possible 225) same POB , and a little fishing gear and ice saw 36 knots @ 5490 rpm.  After seeing gruntre's comment that he can only get 5300 out of the same prop on a lighter, shorter Cruisecraft 575, I'm wondering if anyone actually gets the 5800? I spoken to a few owners, they all talk about 5500. I've got a thread running on THT about this, only reply so far  is that he's getting the same on a 22ft bayboat. 

Anyway, after relaying the latest set of results to the dealer, he's out and about asking around about possible options. I get my wife to drop the 16P off on Friday, and they just hand the original 17P back to her--this apparently is as good as it gets. I'm not unhappy, it felt fine to me, just curious. Darren's experience was that both the 18P and 17P gave him the same WOT revs, more speed with the 18P, but ultimately over-propped with all the gear on. Then I get the same revs with a 16P? Almost like 5500 is it? Anyone else out there with a late model 150 merc care to comment?

 maybe that's just normal operating range, limiter may be 6000? Anyway, I've had a few replies, got some through THT and another forum, seems they will hit 5800 straight out of the box--a couple of people reported getting that, others are more like me, most  are  saying leave it like it is, which I had intended to  . One did suggest to check the outboard height which I hadn't, although I suspect it will be OK. Weather is looking great up there ow, so I'll be hopefully be doing more fishing than working on it when i'm home next.  

Wow, this is an awesome read.
Have followed for a while and love all the little details which really help.
Considering a thru-hull in my Kingcraft so reading the transducer and electronics details over and over.
Thanks Ranmar and keep the posts coming.

 My manual says between 5000 and 6000 RPM with the upper end the best. Mine was installed by Hitech marine who have admitted to me that they only ever got it to around 5300 at sea trial. When I questioned them about it they fobbed me off saying that it is within the RPM range. I had no pull over them as the second owner.

Interesting about the height, mine is installed as high as acceptably possible with the cav plate about 40mm above the keel when trimmed parallel. I've toyed with lowering it as a trial but haven't got around to it yet. It also has the down side of more draft at the skeg. 

 He is a big Merc dealer in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and always seems helpful. He had something interesting to say on the Enertia Eco props   Quote "Standard Enertia prop or Enertia Eco? Ecos run heavy on pitch. Example; Eco 17p is more like a 19p. I would try a Mercury Rev4 prop if you can get your hand on one to try." Unquote   He also confirmed my suspicions that, if I am recording top RPM and speed using the Vesselview Mobile app Peak Speed feature, the numbers you are seeing since the last reset are not necessarily happening at the same time, ie--if you trim out a bit early and the prop blows out, or blows out at any time due to over trimming out, you may be seeing that as the peak RPM, and the peak speed may be at different rpm. I don't think this is happening in my case, just something to be aware of.

He said they normally see 5600-5800 from these motors, but 5500 was quite acceptable, and I could expect to see a few more as the motor loosens up. Grunte, it sounds like your height to be about right, going on general principles--people seem to lose more by having them too deep, too high just means they will cavitate more on turns and not trim out as well. Mine runs dead flat when trimmed right out--this seems like a good thing, but then I started wondering about the effect of the trim tabs. my first two runs were done with the tabs inoperative ( faulty switch)--they seemed to be set pretty level with the hull. On my last try, the tabs were working and I had trimmed them around a bit, playing with settings for ride at sea. I know I retracted them fully before I retrieved it, but can't remember if I checked them before doing the top speed run. 

 Forecast was for a fresh NE dropping off late in the morning so I elected to go well north and stay inside until it dropped. The 14.5x 17P Enertia prop was back on. I reset the app and ran it for 40 minutes to get an average speed and RPM. It won't give me fuel vs distance, but it was slightly better than 1 nm per litre, which is pretty much what the old F115a pushing the Dominator gave me, but I was averaging a slightly higher speed. This is the screen shot for the run up, reasonably calm but pushing into a fresh nor'easter.

Mostly around 3500 rpm. I ran it a bit harder for a while on the way in. We had gone about out from the beach when the wind dropped at lunchtime. The fuel consumption went up a bit, it was doing just under the NM/litre , pushing across a bit of a late afternoon sou'wester. 3750 was around 23 knots 

4000 rpm sees over a sustained 25 knots, and the fuel drops a bit more. Certainly an option if you are in a hurry and it won't break the bank. so the wash up for the whole day was exactly 67 litres back at the ramp for 64 NM (118.5km), and I didn't shut it down once while we were drifting. The little 12 v travel buddy oven warmed up the home-made pasties for lunch, and real coffee at 10 am was a bonus from the handpresso machine. :-)

How did you go with your transducer at speed?

 I made a new profile called Auto Everything ( which is what it says) for travelling at speed. Still pretty crap, didn't really play with it much. I know that leaving it on the higher gain you are using outside--I was in 32 fathoms (58 metres) and it would just red  out completely and you would need to wait a bit when you slowed down before you got your picture back--manual ranging would probably help with that. Happy with the picture out here-- I was still on less than 50% gain and everything was lit up, good bottom discrimination as well.

 The bulkhead arrangement on these things looks pretty strong-longitudinal plates run to the forward section of the hull, but they still reinforce them, so I bought some 12mm marine ply and got the owrk.

I thought the builders had been careless with the fitting of these plates, as the well is assymetrical, until I realised that it is to allow for motor on a drum winch. These are a big winch, virtually identical in size to the Lonestar GX3, with a 1500w motor. After cutting the ply to size, I glassed one side with chopped mat, then , after it hat set, wet another full size piece of mat on the other side, wet the ground-down flocoat, then screwed it on to compress it firmly. Tabbed all around, then gave it a coat of flocoat after it was tack-free.
This morning, I got to work on actually getting the holes drilled. These things are heavy, and there was no way I could really hold it steady while marking the holes, but the mounting plate came to the rescue.I only had to hold it enough to mark the top edge, then used the backing plate as a template after marking a centreline. The holes were drilled and lined with epoxy. While that was setting, I got to work on re-arranging the foredeck.
The bollard and chain guide had to go, so 2 large horn cleats were fitted ,and a fairlead fitted one side for mooring. A piece of starboard was shaped as protection for the deck from chain. A Lonestar convex roller was fitted to hopefully assist on spreading the rope across the drum.

By the time I'd finished with that, the epoxy was hard enough to put the bolts through, so I wrestled the winch into place and sealed it up with Sika. Cut the excess bolt length off inside-- I have a nice Caribbean-embroidered logo on a padded board--thanks, Coby :-) left over from another build, so that will fir nicely over the ss plate.

Tomorrow, the wiring, and run some rope onto it.

 Ran the rope onto the winch. 100m of 8mm b double braid nylon, supplied with the winch, then 30m of 6mm dyneema, with a topshot of 20m of 12mm silver rope for chafing. Add 9 m of chain, and you are getting full. I haven't run it out at sea yet, it'll probably lay on better under a bit of weight, make that tapered roller work properly.

Added a hoop to the bowsprit to keep the rope near the roller when it gets sloppy.

Fitted a power outlet/dual USB charger next to the passenger side pocket, where the outlet can power the Travel Buddy oven, as well as the coffee maker.

Then to the last big job. Over the last two days i've fitted the outrigger bases and rigged the telescopic poles. The Rupp TopGuns were the single biggest indulgence on this boat--I've always avoided outriggers as just being a general PITA, but, after seeing what a good top mount setup on a hardtop can do, just went for the best.

If you get your mounting point for the halyard right, you don't need to do any adjustment between being deployed or sitting back for travelling. I've changed it a bit since the picture below; it was a bit high, so i pulled the Hal-lock through that eye rather than clipping to it, and clipped it to a rope run off a lower cleat. Pivot point is the same, just brings the clip within easy reach. Just need to add the tagline returns.

Nice outriggers... I like the anchor loop too. I’ve had the rope jump on me a couple of times.

Given my time again I would probably go with the drum winch. Though the installation is easier, there isn’t enough free drop for the rope to fall nicely on the windlass. We end up with someone up the front feeding the rope backwards. I’m going to replace/add 50m of chain for short anchors but that is going to add 45kg.

 You can have it if you like. I just drilled out where the front two self-tappers were holding the bowsprit down, perfect fit. Funny story behind those. IIRC, they came off my last crayboat--they were actually really big c-clamps, had hose forced over them to mount a redundant piece of cylindrical equipment. Took it off, threw them into the stainless parts bin. About 18 years ago.   Stripped the hose off, perfect underneath.

I never throw ANYTHING stainless away.

I would have stayed with the windlass type if I could have taken it off the last boat. It's probably worked out for the best, in the end.

 When I come down next.

 Arrived home last  night at 10.30.  The whole rig performed exceptionally well. Actual fuel useage overall for a day of running all day, mix of travelling and various forms of trolling, was very close to 1 litre per nautical mile (1.852km), ie a really big day of 45 nm would see about 47 litres. Biggest day was 48nm for 51 litres, IIRC. Some days the litres were less than the NM. You really have to keep moving up there nowadays, anchor or drift and you just get nailed for no result. The Merc 150 is a great balance of economy and power for that rig, normal cruise was over 20 knots, and aftter initially running at 3450 for 20 knot average, found the economy is really ythe same most of the way to 4000rpm, so you can cruise faster if you want for no appreciable loss of economy. It really handles like a big boat in bad conditions--some mornings we were the only boat out, in strong SE and E, and catching fish,  when there were other boats just as large on their moorings, nothing seems to bother it. Hardtop does an excellent job of keeping the elements off, and the windscreen wipers are very good after an initial need for adjustment.  The autopilot is absolute gold--obviously for straight line trolling  but also things like swimming billfish for release if you only have two on board, and just generally getting an extra set of hands on deck at low speeds when required. Rule was that someone always had to be looking ahead if you were moving at more than idle speed, because the big grey mobile reefs were everywhere in numbers. It got a lot of use.

We did use the winch (Tuffwinch 240HC) a few times, anchoring in 35 metres, and it was very strong. Usual issue with drum winches, ie, you need to try to hold station as you drop the the bottom, but it is quite fast when the drum is full, so that helps. We were always able to anchor accurately. The freshwater bladder installation under one of the front seats, plumbing via an inline pump to a shower head, was useful for washing the reels down at the end of day, never had that luxury before. The actual dash layout and ergonomics work well, never had an issue, or wished I had done anything differently. Maybe add a fuel gauge to the installed sender ( see below) and the Travel Buddy 12 v oven meant warm food every day for lunch, along with short blacks for those who like them, as I do. Don't like short blacks, bring your own flask of hot water and milk, I'm not your mother 

The upgraded trailer was good on the apalling road in--been a few years since it was graded now, I think Phil has upset the shire, because it was as bad as it's ever been--got in from the bitumen to the homestead in about an hour and ten coming in, took an hour and 25 to get out. Nothing appears to be broken, and it tows very well on the road. 

The Rupp Revolution overhead outrigger bases were outstanding, just being able to deploy and return with a twist of the wrist, without touching any rigging, made them worth the money.  Actually there is just one thing I wish I had done differently, and it was down the the haste of the fitout, when it started happening, after the long wait--Whitworths gave me a conventions s/s skin fitting, instead of a scoop type, for the deck hose/live well intake, and I went ahead and fitted it instead of holding off. It means the Shurflow washdown pump won't pick up and any speed, and it also tends to unprime itself at speed, no doubt due to venturi effect, so it takes a while to get going when you stop. I have the correct fitting , but it is very hard working down there, and I wetbonded ( dur) it in, to make things worse. So it will need heat to break the bond, and I am very hesitant to apply heat , even a tiny flame, inside the fitting. So it may have to be an external scoop fitting placed over the skin fitting, if I can find a suitable one.

Oh, and the 225 litre tank appears to be only 200 litres, according to my fuel manager--DAMHIK.  I'll talk about how the electronics package performed  in the Raymarine section of the electronics page--I'll just say here that it is a pleasure to use.

Overall, a great rig to fish from or just fly over the ocean, very happy, and everyone was impressed. 

 Sorry, but I was on mobile exclusively at the time, and couldn't reply as it dead-ends you, then lost the email. It was to do with the outriggers. If you see this, just PM me this time, I'll be happy to answer.

I am willing to bet you have to pinch yourself every now and then just to be sure you are not dreaming.
What a magnificent machine I would love to have seen the look on your face when you pulled into your drive way at home. I hope you will forgive me for saying this, I have read all the text, looked at all the pictures and I can't find any reference to very very important item I consider a must have for a mighty machine like that.

What could that possibly be you may ask yourself, quite simply it is this,
A male person who is about 6ft + in height is about 2 axe handles across the shoulders fists as big as Christmas hams, and carries a pick handle and knows how to wield it. The person is quite happy to camp along side the boat night and day and has a very very bad attitude towards anyone who comes within 3 metres of the boat unaccompanied by the owner.

His name is thief stopper

It would be heart breaking to come out one morning and find some low life had attacked your pride and joy.

 Currently, when I m not using it on a day to day basis, it is in a locked storage unit, inside a locked yard, with security cameras. This costs me just under $4K pa. I have all the gear for a large ( 8.4m) carport waiting to be erected which places all the boat aft of the canopy top under the existing upstairs verandah, with room for a car, under the carport, in front of it. As well, I will adding some anti-theft devices to trailer. There are motion sensor lights around it, and it actually backs hard up to the head end of our master bedroom, visible from two windows. So that all helps. 

Living in Kalbarri also helps, too. Theft of this kind is really low in this town. After the carport is up, some extra security is easy to add, integrated with our current wi-fi, etc. I'll probably give up the storage shed when the carport is built , and can clean it out. 

It was great up at the Billfish Bonanza--we fished Gulf side for sails, as the wind westside never let up. Gulf side was anything from very ordinary to bloody awful every morning, too,--a big incoming tide running against a fresh southerly or sou-easter can make things really nasty going out,  but at least you get a lull most days through the middle of the day, with the chance of a reasonable trip home. If you haven't done it, chasing sails in the Gulf entails waiting for the birds to form up over a bait ball, then sprinting to get there, often in a race with other boats, before it breaks up. So there are lots of 25-28knot runs across/with/into a short slop to get there. It did it well, although I would say a nasty short slop isn't its stength, it really shines in big bluewater seas. But I was told by others out there that it looked really great running hard across the slop. 

The trip home some days was calm, but mostly some wind, the usual fresh afternoon souwester you are running directly into coming home from up past Exmouth Reef. She ate it up, mostly sitting down for all the crew. Apart from the day it went from south straight to a building westerly, and stayed there all day, and most of the way home, until it then went fresh sou-west. That was a trip you did standing up all the way. But the big Trailcraft who started out behind us coming in  just disappeared over the horizon behind us, and got in some time after. I just put the autopilot on, kept one hand on the throttle, and let it drive itself, only backing off a little if a really big hole suddenly opened up under us. Autopilot is just brillant. Two hot meals a day from the Travel Buddy, and a short black if needed , certainly helped on a long competition day  Then back at the Marina ramp, drop a deckie off on the finger, wait for him to back down, then drive straight on using the L&R Boatlatch I bought earlier from a FW member, and only got around to fitting just before the comp.

I really wanted to chase some marlin out westside that trip, but things weren't any good out there, so had to give it a miss. I'd like to get back up there end of summer, before the Blues disappear, to give it a good crack. 

Now, does anyone know who chips 150 Merc 4strokes? The big competition out there was a 7m Leisurecat running 2x 225hp, and a 282 Fury running 2x200 Verados. I just couldn't keep up in the speed stakes  And a suggestion at home of a new Merc Pro XS 200 ( the v8, which is actually something like 248hp actual) would get me shot.

what a rig :)

Will you be sellig your swiftcraft now?

I may be interested Ranmar 

 The new owner made a comment in the thread you began--woodenfish

 if you recall, I didn't really get an optimum result with my first props. 14.5 x 17 sounded like the go, got 38knots @5500. Motor range is 5200-5800. Dealer gave me a 14.5 x 16, dropped to 35 knots with exactly the same revs. So i went back to the 17P. Added more weight after that, with the big drum winch, and water bladder, more fishing gear, extra drag of a scoop for the intake that wasn't on there originally. Suspected i was down in revs, did a  stealth run up past the pens last weekend, best was 5250 @ 37 knots, with a fresh tail wind. another run was only 5100. And this was lightship, with only 60 litres of fuel, 1 pob, stuff like the fridge missing. I had been talking to a bloke in Qld who had put a motor the same as mine on a Whittley 6100. Different hull, but he was getting very similar results as me with the 14.5 x 17, so there was a basis for comparison. He then tried a 15 x 15, still Enertia, hit the sweet spot. Something like 5750 @ 37 knots.

I found a 15 x15 at Bunbury last week, tried it today. Comparisons are not quite identical, as I added an extra body, 50 litres of fuel, and put the fridge back. Results were 5581 @ 35 knots, with almost no tailwind. So more real world. So I really picked up almost 500rpm at a slightly lower speed. Couldn't really try cruise, as I didn't have the room to let it settle, looks like it might be slightly slower at 3500. If you want to keep the speed bits out of sight, you really don't have much room to do it up here.  I did a prop slip calculation, and it came to 3%, so I couldn't really ask for more./

 Those Figures sound very similar to mine. I changed to the 15P Enertia and got my WOT up from around 5250-5300 with the 17P to around 5850. I reckon I've lost a couple of knots as well with about 35-36 WOT. Seems like my cruise is up to around 3850 now. I haven't really had the chance to get it out on flat water and take the detailed results but I'm thinking I'm better off with the 15. I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm probably slightly less fuel efficient with the smaller prop at Higher RPM but the motor is better off.